Friday, October 19, 2012

Structural Response

Both the revolts after Nassar's regime and during the Arab Spring were similar in that they were both lead by educated young people. What kept Nassar's regime from experiencing revolt until after his death is exactly what led to the Arab Spring revolts in the first place; his regime catered to this educated young people in ways that the modern regimes did not.

Nassar's government was almost built around keeping this young people satisfied, and giving them no reason to oppose an otherwise totalitarian government. Being a qualified young person in Nassar's Egypt meant you were guaranteed a free university education, but a guaranteed job in the government, alleviating many concerns among Egypt's youth. Additionally, Nassar's incorporation of propaganda into university curriculums almost guaranteed the conversion of the young to his rule, if only in the short term. Soon, culminating in the ousting of Nassar as Egypt's leader, more and more concessions were needed by the government to prevent student riots, which eventually did take place to overthrow the military government.

In the Arab Spring times, the same student group again took charge in radically adjusting the Egyptian government, among other Arab nations. At the (newly minted) polls, Islamist groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood are dominating Arab politics, for several reasons. For example, Mubarak's regime was seen as very pro-West and almost Western controlled; a political group now putting down Western influence on Egyptian politics is gladly welcomed. Additionally, previous regimes were seen as secular, viewing Islam as just a cultural aspect instead of a political one. These Islamist groups are rejecting that stance, bringing people to their side that are fed up and want the opposite of past regimes.

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